Jay Z is confused at why the FBI is refusing to release a man who served 14 years for weed, saying that one of the reasons for detaining him is because of a leftover prison meal.
Roc Nation is taking on the case of a man named Valon Vailes, who is serving a 20-year sentence for intent to distribute more than a ton of marijuana. Vailes was convicted in 2007 and reached out to Jay Z last year to ask for help with getting a reduced sentence.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the judge won’t budge over some interesting offenses.
Attorney Alex Spiro said Viles more than meets the eligibility and criteria for “compassionate release,” but in the documents, he says federal prosecutors won’t allow it due to Vailes taking leftover chicken from the jail canteen and smuggling it in his cell.
The documents also say that Vailes is being reprimanded for only using a piece of his prison uniform as “training equipment.”
In an interview with TMZ, Spiro says that even the initial sentencing of 20 years may have been different if Vailes was “whiter” and doesn’t think the government views him as a human being worthy of independence.
Last year September, the rapper’s legal team made two pleas to a North Carolina Judge asking for Vailes’ “compassionate release.”
The same week, Spiro filed a second motion, asking the court to reconsider their previous request—one which was dismissed due to inmate Vailes’ COVID-19 vaccination record, according to court documents obtained by Page Six.
“Mr. Vailes’ motion for compassionate release does not mention COVID-19 and does not rely on any COVID-19 related argument as basis for arguing in favor of a reduced sentence,” Spiro argued.
The 56-year-old earned his GED and has a “mentally ill” brother at home who needs a caregiver, according to TMZ. Vailes’ mother took care of the brother but passed away in 2020.
Vailes was found guilty by a jury for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute more than one ton of marijuana from 2003 to 2007. So far, there have been no updates on his sentencing in this case.
